Component retaining legs

ABSTRACT

A component retaining leg is disclosed, which comprises a base to be provided on a component such as a clamp and a clip, a pillar depending from the base, and a flexible retaining piece extending from the free end of the pillar in a folded fashion toward the base. The free end of the retaining piece has an engagement step section for engaging a mounting hole of a panel. The engagement step section has a plurality of engagement steps formed at a predetermined interval.

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/619,793, filed Mar.20, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,731.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to component retaining legs for attaching clamps,clips or like components to panels such as automotive body panels.

2. Description of the Prior Art

An example of prior art component retaining leg is shown in the frontview of FIG. 19. This retaining leg 80 is a molding of a syntheticresin, and comprises a base 81 to be provided on a clamp, a clip or likecomponent, a pillar 82 depending from the base 81, and a pair offlexible retaining pieces 83 extending from the free end of the pillar82 in a folded fashion toward the base 81. The retaining pieces 83 eachhave their free end formed with a single step or shoulder 83a to beengaged with the surface of a panel 84 adjacent a mounting hole 85formed therein. As the retaining leg 80 is inserted through the mountinghole 85 of the panel 84, the retaining pieces 83 are caused by themounting hole 85 to flex toward each other. When the retaining leg 80 isinserted until the base 81 engages the panel 84, the retaining pieces 83are elastically restored so that the steps 83a are click engaged withthe panel surface adjacent the mounting hole 85. Thus, the retaining leg80 is attached, i.e., retained against detachment.

The prior art retaining leg 80 can be attached without rattling to apanel 84 which has a thickness t corresponding to, i.e., equal to, thedistance between the base 81 and the step 83a. When the thickness t ofthe panel 84 is not fixed, however, the retaining leg 80 may be attachedwith rattling or can not be attached. To cope with variations of thethickness t of the panel 84, it is necessary to prepare a plurality ofdifferent retaining legs 80 each fitted to each panel thickness. In suchcase, time-consuming component management is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention seeks to solve the above problem, and it has an object ofproviding a component retaining leg which can be attached to panelshaving different thicknesses so that component management can bedispensed with.

The invention features a component retaining leg which comprises a baseto be provided on a component such as a clamp and a clip, a pillardepending from the base, and a flexible retaining piece extending fromthe free end of the pillar in a folded fashion toward the base, the freeend of the retaining piece having an engagement step section forengaging a mounting hole of a panel, the engagement step section havinga plurality of engagement steps formed at a predetermined interval.

As the component retaining leg according to the invention is insertedthrough a mounting hole of a panel, the retaining pieces are caused bythe mounting hole to flex toward each other, and when the base engagesthe panel, the retaining pieces are elastically restored so that theirengagement step sections engage the mounting hole. Thus, the retainingleg is attached and retained against detachment.

Since each engagement step section has a plurality of engagement steps,it is possible to eliminate rattling or disability of attachment of theretaining leg irrespective of the panel thickness, and the retaining legcan be adequately attached to the panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are views illustrating a retaining leg according toa first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a belt clamp with the retainingleg;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the same belt clamp;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the same belt clamp;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the retaining leg of the same beltclamp;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the belt clamp in a state in which anobject is bound;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the same belt clamp;

FIGS. 8(a) to 8(d) illustrate a clamp with a retaining leg of a secondembodiment;

FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d) are views showing the same retaining leg;

FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) showing the same retaining leg in an attachedstate;

FIGS. 11(a) to 11(c) are views showing a belt clamp with a retaining legof a third embodiment;

FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) are sectional views showing the same belt clamp;

FIGS. 13(a) to 13(f) are views showing the retaining leg of the samebelt clamp;

FIGS. 14(a) to 14(d) are views showing the same retaining leg in anattached state;

FIGS. 15(a) to 15(c) are views showing a belt clamp with a retaining legof a fourth embodiment;

FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) are sectional views showing the same belt clamp;

FIGS. 17(a) to 17(f) are views showing the retaining leg of the samebelt clamp;

FIGS. 18(a) to 18(d) are views showing the same retaining leg in anattached state; and

FIG. 19 is a view showing a prior art retaining leg.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described.

First Embodiment

A first embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1(a) to7. The retaining leg of the first embodiment is applied to a belt clampfor an automotive wire harness.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the belt clamp, FIG. 3 is a sideview showing the same, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the same. Asshown in these drawings, the belt clamp is a one-piece molding of asynthetic resin, and mainly comprises a flexible belt 10 and a retainingleg 20 joined to the belt 10 and serving as a buckle.

The inner surface (or upper surface) of the belt 10 on the winding side,has a plurality of engagement teeth 11 formed in a row at apredetermined interval in the longitudinal direction and also has ribs12 formed along the opposite sides of the engagement teeth row. Thewinding side surface of an end portion of the belt 10 has a temporaryengagement tooth 11a, and the opposite surface (or inner surface) of thesame end portion has a plurality of anti-slip protuberances 13 formed ina row at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. Theretaining leg 20 to which a stem of the belt 10 is joined as shown inthe front view of FIG. 1(a), can be substantially coaxially mounted in amounting hole 41 of a panel 40, and it comprises a base 21, a pillar 22depending therefrom, and a pair of flexible retaining pieces 23extending from the free end of the leg 22 in a folded fashion toward thebase 21.

The free end of each retaining piece 23 has an engagement step section23a to be engaged with the mounting hole 41 of the panel 40. Theengagement step section 23a has a plurality of (five in the drawing)steps, as shown in the enlarged-scale view of FIG. 1(b).

Referring to FIG. 5, i.e., a sectional view showing the retaining leg20, in addition to FIG. 1(a), the pillar 22 of the retaining leg 20 hasan axial through bore 24 through which the belt 10 is inserted from itsleading end. The retaining leg 20 further comprises a flexibleengagement piece 25 which extends downward from an upper end portion ofthe wall surface of the through hole 24 that is joined to the belt 10.The engagement piece 25 has two engagement protuberances 26 which canengage the engagement teeth 11 of the belt 10. With elastic deformationof the engagement piece 25, the engagement protuberances 26 permitpassage of the engagement teeth 11 when tightening the belt 10, but theyblock passage of the teeth 11 in the reverse direction, i.e., theyretain the belt 10 against passage in the reverse direction. Theengagement piece 25 has an engagement release piece 27 formed at thefree end thereof and projecting from the lower end of the pillar 22. Theengagement release piece 27 can be operated to cause flexing of theengagement piece 25 so as to release the engagement between theengagement protuberances 26 and the engagement teeth 11.

A case of binding an object (for instance, a wire harness) with theabove belt clamp will now be described. The base 21 of the retaining leg20 is held in a position to bundle an object 30, as shown by brokenlines in FIG. 5. Then, the belt 10 is wound on the object 30, and theleading end of the belt 10 is inserted through the through hole 24 sothat it projects downward from the retaining leg 20. At this time, thetemporary engagement tooth 11a of the belt 10 clears the engagementprotuberances 26 with elastic deformation of the engagement piece 25, sothat the belt 10 is tied to the retaining leg 20 and retained againstdetachment.

Afterwards, the object 30 is tightly bound by pulling the end of thebelt 10 that projects downward from the retaining leg 20 with fingers.As a result, the engagement teeth 11 of the belt 10 are caused to clearthe engagement protuberances 26 with elastic deformation of theengagement piece 25. At the end of the pulling, the engagementprotuberances 26 are engaged with corresponding engagement teeth 11, sothat the binding of the object 30 is completed. The resultant boundstate of the object 30 is shown in a sectional view in FIG. 6 and in aperspective view in FIG. 7.

When tightly binding the object 30, all the anti-slip protuberances 13provide a function of preventing the slip of fingers. When it becomesnecessary to re-bind the object 30, the engagement of the engagementprotuberances 26 with the engagement teeth 11 is released by operatingthe engagement release piece 27. By so doing, it is possible to loosenthe belt 10 or take the belt 10 out through the through hole 24.

Thereafter, the retaining leg 20 is inserted through the mounting hole41 of the panel 40. As the retaining leg 20 is inserted through themounting hole 41, the retaining pieces 23 are caused to flex toward eachother by the edge of the mounting hole 41. When the base 21 comes toengage the panel 40, the retaining pieces 23 are elastically restored sothat a step in each of their engagement step sections 23a thatcorresponds to the thickness t of the panel 40 engages the mounting hole41, so that the retaining leg 20 is attached and retained againstdetachment. With the retaining leg 20 attached in the mounting hole 41in this way, the object 30 is bound and clamped to the panel 40.

With the above retaining leg 20, since the free end of each retainingpiece 23 has the engagement step section 23a having a plurality ofsteps, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), a step corresponding to thethickness t of the panel 40 engages the mounting hole 41. That is, it ispossible to eliminate rattling or disability of attachment of theretaining leg 20 irrespective of the panel thickness, and the retainingleg 20 can be adequately attached to the panel 40. A single kind ofretaining leg 20 thus can be adequately attached to panels 40 havingdifferent thicknesses t, and time-consuming component management isunnecessary.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 8(a)to 10(b). The retaining leg of the second embodiment is applied to aclamp for an automotive wire harness.

FIGS. 8(a) to 8(d) illustrate the clamp. FIG. 8(a) is a front view, FIG.8(b) is a right side view, FIG. 8(c) is a bottom view, and FIG. 8(d) isa sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 8(a). As shown in FIGS.8(a) to 8(c), the clamp is a one-piece molding of a synthetic resin, andit mainly comprises a substantially C-shaped flexible clamp portion 110,and a retaining leg 120 depending from the underside of the clampportion 110.

The clamp portion 110 has upper and lower folded guide portions 111 and112, and also has a pushing piece 113 extending downward from the upperend portion thereof.

FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d) show the retaining leg 120 depending from theunderside of the clamp portion 110. FIG. 9(a) is a partly broken-apartfront view, FIG. 9(b) is an enlarged-scale view showing an engagementstep section, FIG. 9(c) is a plan view showing the same, and FIG. 9(d)is a view for describing the engagement step section. As shown in FIG.9(a), the retaining leg 120 comprises a base 121, a pillar 122 dependingtherefrom, and a pair of flexible retaining pieces 123 extending fromthe free end of the pillar 122 in a folded fashion toward the base 121.The base 121 is substantially oval in plan view, as shown in FIG. 8(d),and has a substantially dish-like stabilizer 124 formed on the bottomthereof, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(c).

The free end of each of the retaining pieces 123 has an engagement stepsection 123a to engage the mounting hole 141 of a panel 140 which willbe described later. As shown in FIGS. 9(b) and 9(c), each engagementstep section 123a has a plurality of (three in the drawing) steps. Themounting hole 141 of the panel 140 is substantially oval, as shown inFIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) for describing the state of attachment of theretaining leg 120. FIG. 10(a) is a partly broken-away front view, andFIG. 10(b) is a sectional view taken along line B--B in FIG. 10(a).

Referring to FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), in the second embodiment, theengagement step sections 123a engage straight portions of the mountinghole 141 of the panel 140 in the major diametrical direction of themounting hole 141. The engagement step sections 123a are straight in thewidth direction of the retaining pieces 123.

As shown in FIG. 9(b), the angle θ between each step or engagement faceFa of the engagement step section 123a that substantially faces the backsurface of the panel 140 and the associated engagement face Fb thatsubstantially faces the wall surface of the mounting hole 141 of thepanel 140, is set substantially to 90° (97°, for instance, as shown inthe drawing). Each engagement face Fa is formed in a plane substantiallyat right angles to the center line of the retaining piece 123, and theengagement faces Fb are substantially parallel to one another.

As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), each engagement face Fa of eachengagement step section 123a is formed such that it is parallel to theback surface of the panel 140 having a thickness t, t₁ or t₂ when eachengagement step section 123a is engagement with the mounting hole 142having a width W, W₁ or W₂.

A case of binding an object (for instance, a wire harness) with theabove clamp will now be described. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the guideportions 111 and 112 are held in position to bundle an object 130, andthe object 130 is then pushed into the clamp portion 110 by making useof the elasticity of the clamp portion 110 so that it is clamped withthe elasticity of the pushing piece 113 as shown by broken lines in thedrawing.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the retaining leg 120 isinserted through the mounting hole 141 of the panel 140. As theretaining leg 120 is inserted through the mounting hole 141, theretaining pieces 123 are caused to flex toward each other by the edge ofthe mounting hole 141. When the base 121 comes to engage the panel 140,a step in each engagement step section 123a corresponding to thicknesst, t₁ or t₂ of the panel 140 engages the mounting hole 141 having widthW, W₁ or W₂, so that the retaining leg 120 is attached and retainedagainst detachment. With the attachment of the retaining leg 120 inposition in the mounting hole 141, the object 130 is bound and clampedto the panel 140. The stabilizer 124 is held in elastic contact with thesurface of the panel 140.

Thus, the retaining leg 120 can be adequately attached to the panel 140irrespective of the thickness thereof because a step in the engagementstep section 123a that corresponds to the panel thickness t, t₁ or t₂engages the mounting hole 141 having the width W, W₁ or W₂. That is, itis possible to eliminate rattling or disability of attachment of theretaining leg 120. In addition, a single kind of retaining leg 120 canbe adequately attached to a plurality of panels 140 having differentthicknesses, and time-consuming component management is unnecessary.

As a further advantage, since with the retaining leg 120, the angle θbetween the step or engagement face Fa of each engagement step section123a and the associated engagement face Fb is set substantially to 90°,it is possible to provide an increased contact area of the engagementface Fa of the engagement step section 123a with respect to the panel140. This will be described with reference to FIG. 9(d). When the angleθ₁ between the engagement faces Fa and Fb is set to 115° as shown bybroken lines, i.e., with angle θ₁, the contact area of the engagementface Fa is X₁. With angle θ, the contact area X of the engagement faceFa includes the shaded area and is thus greater than the contact areaX₁. An increased retention force of the retaining leg 120 with respectto the panel 140 thus can be obtained. The angle θ is suitably 90° oraround 90°, for instance in a range of 90° to 98°.

As a still further advantage of the retaining leg 120, when theengagement step sections 123a engage the mounting hole 141 of the panel140 with thickness t, t₁ or t₂, the prevailing engagement face Fa of theengagement step section 123a is parallel to the back surface of thepanel 140, and thus the engagement face Fa of the engagement stepsection 123a properly engages the panel 140.

The retaining leg 120 can be attached in position in mounting holes 141having a fixed width of panels 140 having different thicknesses t, t₁and t₂.

Third Embodiment

A third embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 11(a)to 14(d). The retaining leg of the third embodiment is again applied toa belt clamp for an automotive wire harness.

FIGS. 11(a) to 11(c) show the belt clamp. FIG. 11(a) is a front view,FIG. 11(b) is a partly broken-away right side view, and FIG. 11(c) is aplan view. FIG. 12(a) is a sectional view showing the belt clamp, andFIG. 12(b) is a sectional view taken along line C--C in FIG. 12(a).

As shown in FIGS. 11(a) to 12(b), the belt clamp is a one-piece moldingof a synthetic resin, and it mainly comprises a flexible belt 210, abuckle 250 joined to the belt 210, and a retaining leg 220 joined to thebuckle 250.

The outer surface (or back surface) of the belt 210 on the winding side,has a plurality of engagement teeth 211 formed in a row at apredetermined interval in the longitudinal direction and also has ribs212 formed along the opposite sides of the engagement teeth row. Theinner surface (i.e., front in the drawing) of the belt 210 on thewinding side, has ribs 214 formed along the opposite edges. The outersurface of an end portion of the belt 210 has a plurality of anti-slipprotuberances 213 formed in a row at a predetermined interval in thelongitudinal direction.

The buckle 250 joined to the stem of the belt 210, as shown in FIG.12(a), has a longitudinal through hole 254 through which the belt 210 isinserted. An engagement piece 255 extends rearward from a front portionof the lower wall surface of the through hole 254. The engagement piece255 has two engagement protuberances 256 capable of engaging theengagement teeth 211 of the belt 210. With elastic deformation of theengagement piece 255, the engagement protuberances 256 permit passage ofthe engagement teeth 211 when tightening the belt 210, but they blockpassage of the engagement teeth 211 in the reverse direction. Theengagement piece 255 has an engagement release piece 257 formed at thefree end thereof. The engagement release piece 257 can be operated tocause flexing of the engagement piece 255 so as to release engagement ofthe engagement protuberances 256 and the engagement teeth 211.

FIGS. 13(a) to 13(f) show the retaining leg 220 depending from thebuckle 250. FIG. 13(a) is a partly broken-away front view, FIG. 13(b) isa bottom view, FIG. 13(c) is a right side view, FIG. 13(d) is anenlarged-scale view showing an engagement step section, FIG. 13(d) is aplan view showing the engagement step section shown in FIG. 13(d), andFIG. 13(f) is a view for describing the engagement step section. Asshown in FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c), the retaining leg 220 comprises a base221 having a substantially oval shape in plan view, a pillar 222depending form the base 221, and a pair of flexible retaining pieces 223extending from the free end of the pillar 222 in a folded fashion towardthe base 221. The base 221 has a substantially dish-like stabilizer 224formed on the bottom thereof.

The free end of each of the retaining pieces 223 has an engagement stepsection 223a to engage a mounting hole 241 of a panel 240 which will bedescribed later. As shown in FIGS. 13(d) and 13(e), each engagement stepsection 223a has a plurality of (three in the drawing) steps. Themounting hole 241 of the panel 240 is oval, as best shown in FIGS. 14(a)to 14(d) for describing the state of attachment of the retaining leg220. FIG. 14(a) is a partly broken-away front view showing the state ofengagement of the uppermost one of the steps of the engagement stepsection 223a, FIG. 4(b) is a sectional view taken along line D--D inFIG. 14(a), FIG. 14(c) is a partly broken-away front view showing thestate of engagement of the intermediate one of the steps of theengagement step section 223a, and FIG. 14(d) is a partly broken-awayfront view showing the state of engagement of the lowermost one of thesteps of the engagement step section 223a.

Referring to FIGS. 14(a) to 14(d), in the third embodiment, theengagement step sections 223a engage arcuate portions of the mountinghole 241 of the panel 240 extending at right angles to the longitudinaldirection of the mounting hole 241. The engagement step sections 223aare arcuate in the width direction of the retaining pieces 223.

As with the second embodiment, the angle θ between each step orengagement face Fa of the engagement step section 223a thatsubstantially faces the back surface of the panel 240 and the associatedengagement face Fb that substantially faces the wall surface of themounting hole 241 of the panel 240, is set substantially to 90°, asshown in FIG. 13(d).

As shown in FIGS. 13(c) and 13(e), the retaining pieces 223 each havetheir end portion partly cut away lest they should interfere with apertinent portion (shown at 220a) of the retaining leg 220 when they areflexed.

As shown in FIGS. 14(a) to 14(d), each engagement face Fa of eachengagement step section 223a is formed such that it is parallel to theback surface of the panel 240 having a thickness t, t₁ or t₂ when eachengagement step section 223a is in engagement with the mounting hole 241having a fixed width W. More specifically, in this embodiment, as shownin FIG. 13(f), assuming the position of engagement of the lowermost oneof the steps of the engagement step section 223a to be as shown by solidline, the position of engagement of the intermediate one of the steps ofthe engagement step section 223a is as shown by a single dot broken line(labeled A), and the position of engagement of the uppermost one of thesteps of the engagement step section 223a is as shown by a double dotbroken line (labeled B). In this way, the inclination of the retainingpieces 223 is changed in dependence on the step that is in engagement.From the consideration of the inclinations of the retaining pieces 223in the states of engagement of the individual steps, each engagementface Fa of each engagement step section 223a is formed such that it isparallel to the back surface of the panel 240 having a thicknesses t(see FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b)), t₁ (see FIG. 14(c)), or t₂ (see FIG. 4(d)),when the engagement step section 223a is in engagement with the mountinghole 241 having a fixed width W.

A case of binding an object (for instance, a wire harness) with theabove belt clamp will now be described. As shown by double dot brokenlines FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), the buckle 250 is held to face an object230 to be bound. Then, the belt 210 is wound on the object 230, and theend portion of the belt 210 is inserted through the through hole 254 sothat it projects rearwardly of the buckle 250. Then, the object 230 istightly bound by pulling the end portion of the belt 210 with fingers.By so doing, the engagement teeth 211 of the belt 210 are caused toclear the engagement protuberances 256 with elastic deformation of theengagement piece 255. When the tightening is completed, the engagementprotuberances 256 engage corresponding engagement teeth 211, thuscompleting the binding of the object 230 (see double dot broken lines inFIG. 12(a)). While the object 230 is tightly bound, the anti-slipprotuberances 213 provide a function of stopping the slip of fingers.When it becomes necessary to re-wind the object 230, the engagementbetween the engagement protuberances 256 and the engagement teeth 211 isreleased by operating the engagement release piece 257. By so doing, itis possible to loosen the belt 210 or take the belt 210 through thethrough hole 254.

Thereafter, the retaining leg 220 is inserted through the mounting hole241 of the panel 240. As the retaining leg 220 is inserted through themounting hole 241, the retaining pieces 223 are caused to flex towardeach other by the mounting hole 241. When the base 221 comes to engagethe panel 240, the retaining pieces 223 are elastically restored so thata step in each engagement step section 223a that corresponds to thethickness t, t₁ or t₂ of the panel 240 engages the mounting hole 241, sothat the retaining leg 220 is attached and retained against detachment(see FIGS. 14(a) to 14(d)). With the retaining leg 220 attached inposition in the mounting hole 241, the object 230 is bound and clampedto the panel 240. The stabilizer 224 elastically engages the surface ofthe panel 240.

Thus, the retaining leg 220 can be adequately attached to the panel 240irrespective of the thickness thereof because a step in the engagementstep section 223a that corresponds to the panel thickness t, t₁ or t₂engages the mounting hole 241. That is, it is possible to eliminaterattling or disability of attachment of the retaining leg 220. Inaddition, a single kind of retaining leg 220 can be adequately attachedto a plurality of panels 240 having different thicknesses, andtime-consuming component management is unnecessary.

As a further advantage, like the second embodiment, since with theretaining leg 220, the angle θ between the engagement faces Fa and Fb ofthe engagement step section 223a is substantially set to 90°, it ispossible to provide an increased contact area of the engagement face Faof the engagement step section 223 with respect to the panel 240, thuspermitting increase of the retaining force of the retaining leg 220 withrespect to the panel 240.

As a still further advantage of the retaining leg 220, like the secondembodiment, when each engagement step section 223a engages the mountinghole 241 of the panel 240 with thickness t, t₁ or t₂, the prevailingengagement face Fa of the engagement step section 223a is parallel tothe back surface of the panel, and thus the engagement face Fa of theengagement step section 223a properly engages the panel 240.

Fourth Embodiment

A fourth embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 15(a)to 15(c). The fourth embodiment is a modification of part of the thirdembodiment, and parts having substantially the same construction asthose in the third embodiment are designated by like reference numerals,increased by 100 and are described only briefly, while describing themodified part in detail.

FIGS. 15(a) to 15(c) show a belt clamp. FIG. 15(a) is a front view, FIG.15(b) is a partly broken-apart right side view, and FIG. 15(c) is a planview. FIG. 16(a) is a sectional view showing the belt clamp, and FIG.16(b) is a sectional view taken along line E--E in FIG. 16(a).

As shown in FIGS. 15(a) to 16(b), the belt clamp in this embodiment,like the third embodiment, mainly comprises a belt 310, a buckle 350 anda retaining leg 320.

The outer surface (i.e., back surface in the drawing) of the belt 310has engagement teeth 311 and also ribs 312 formed on the opposite sidesof the engagement teeth 311. The inner surface (i.e., front in thedrawing) of the belt 310 has ribs 314 formed along the opposite edges.An end portion of the belt 310 has anti-slip protuberances 313.

As shown in FIG. 16(a), the buckle 350 to which the belt 310 is joinedhas a through hole 354 through which the belt 310 is inserted. Anengagement piece 355 having two engagement protuberances 356 extendsfrom the lower wall surface of the through hole 354. With elasticdeformation of the engagement piece 355, the engagement protuberances356 allow passage of the engagement teeth 311 when tightening the belt310, but they block passage of the engagement teeth 311 in the reversedirection. The engagement piece 355 has an engagement release piece 357at the free end thereof.

FIGS. 17(a) to 17(f) show the retaining leg 320 joined to the buckle350. FIG. 17(a) is a partly broken-apart sectional view, FIG. 17(c) is aright side view, FIG. 17(d) is an enlarged-scale view showing anengagement step section, FIG. 17(e) is a view taken in the direction ofarrow E in FIG. 17(d), FIG. 17(f) is a sectional view taken along lineG--G in FIG. 17(a). As shown in FIGS. 17(a) to 17(c), the retaining leg320 comprises a base 321 having a substantially circular shape in planview, a pillar 322 depending from the base 321, and a pair of flexibleretaining pieces 323 extending from the free end of the pillar 322 in afolded fashion toward the base 321. The base 321 has a substantiallydish-like stabilizer 324 formed at the bottom thereof. The retaining leg320 in this embodiment is attached in position in a truly circularmounting hole 341 of a panel 340 which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 17(d) and 17(e), the free end of each of the retainingpieces 323 has an engagement step section 323a having a plurality of(three in the drawing) steps. As best shown in FIG. 18 for describingthe state of attachment of the retaining leg 320, the panel 340 forattaching the retaining leg 320 thereto has the truly circular mountinghole 341. FIG. 18(a) is a partly broken-away sectional view showing astate of engagement of the uppermost one of the steps of the engagementstep section 323a, FIG. 18(b) is a sectional view taken along line F--Fin FIG. 18(a), FIG. 18(c) is a partly broken-away sectional view showinga state of engagement of the intermediate one of the steps of theengagement step section 323a, and FIG. 18(d) is a partly broken-awayfront view showing a state of engagement of the lowermost one of thesteps of the engagement step section 323a.

Referring to FIGS. 18(a) to 18(c), in the fourth embodiment, theengagement step sections 323a engage arcuate portions of the trulycircular mounting hole 341 of the panel 340, and they are arcuate in thewidth direction of the retaining pieces 323.

As shown in FIG. 17(d), the angle θ between the engagement faces Fa andFb of each engagement step section 323a is substantially 90°, like thethird embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 17(c) and 17(e), the retaining pieces 323 each havetheir end portion partly cut away lest they should interfere with apertinent portion (shown at 320a) of the retaining leg 320.

As shown in FIGS. 18(a) to 18(d), each engagement face Fa of eachengagement step section 323a, like the third embodiment, is formed suchthat it is parallel to the back surface of the panel 340 having athickness t (see FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b)), t₁ (see FIG. 18(c)) or t₂ (seeFIG. 18(d)), when the engagement step section 323a is in engagement withthe mounting hole 341 of a fixed width W.

A case of binding an object (for instance, a wire harness) with theabove belt clamp will now be described. As shown by double dot brokenlines in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), the buckle 350 is held to face an object330. Then, the belt 310 is wound on the object 330, and the end portionof the belt 310 is inserted through the through hole 354 so that itprojects rearwardly of the buckle 350. Then, the end portion of the belt310 is tightly bound by pulling the end portion of the belt 310 withfingers (see double dot broken lines in FIG. 16(a)).

Thereafter, the retaining leg 320 is inserted through the mounting hole341 of the panel 340. As the retaining leg 320 is inserted through themounting hole 341, the retaining pieces 323 are caused to flex towardeach other by the mounting hole 341. When the base 321 comes to engagethe panel 340, the retaining pieces 323 are elastically restored so thata step in each engagement step section 323a that corresponds to thethickness t, t₁ or t₂ of the panel 340 engages the mounting hole 341, sothat the retaining leg 320 is attached and retained against detachment(see FIGS. 18(a) to 18(d)).

With the retaining leg 320 of the fourth embodiment, it is possible toobtain substantially the same effects as obtainable with the retainingleg 220 of the third embodiment.

The embodiments described above are by no means limitative, and changesand modifications may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. For example, the retaining legs 20, 120, 220 and 320 of thefirst to fourth embodiments may be integral with the clamp, clip or likeor like associated component, or they may be fabricated separately andthen made integral with the associated component.

Besides, the component retaining leg according to the invention can beadequately attached to a panel such that a step in each engagement stepsection that corresponds to the thickness of the panel engages themounting hole. That is, a single retaining leg can be attached to any ofa plurality of panels having different thicknesses, and time-consumingcomponent management can be made unnecessary.

What is claimed:
 1. A device for attaching a component to a mountinghole within a panel, the device providing a secure attachment to panelshaving variations in thickness, comprising:a base having means forattaching the component and an elastic stabilizer that contacts a topsurface of the panel when the device is attached to the panel; a pillarprojecting from the base, comprising a terminal end opposite from thebase, and at least one flexible retaining leg extending from theterminal end back towards the base at an angle to a central axis of thepillar; wherein the retaining leg comprises an engagement step sectionhaving at least two engagement steps, the engagement steps each having afirst engaging face and a second engaging face, the second engagingfaces being disposed along the engagement step section such that whenthe device is in a free state the second engaging faces are sequentiallyat increasing angles in relation to the central axis of the pillar;wherein each second engaging face sequentially achieves a substantiallyorthogonal relation to the central axis of the pillar as the retainingleg is compressed inward towards the pillar.
 2. A device as in claim 1wherein the second engaging face for the appropriate engagement step isadapted to contact a bottom surface of the panel in a substantiallyparallel relationship, wherein the engagement step section adapts tovariations of panel thickness by engaging the engagement step that mostclosely corresponds to the thickness of the panel.
 3. A device forselective engagement within mounting holes in panels of variousthicknesses, said device comprising:a base assembly of predeterminedwidth; a pillar projecting from the base assembly and extending to aterminal end remote from the base assembly, a pair of flexibly resilientretaining legs engaged with and extending from the terminal end backtowards the base and an angle to a center axis of the pillar, said legsterminating at outer ends laterally outward of said pillar, said legsbeing selectively inwardly compressible toward said pillar topredetermined positions; each of said retaining legs comprising anengagement step section have at least two engagement steps, theengagement step each having a first engaging face and a second engagingface, the second engaging faces defining said predetermined positionsand being disposed along the engagement step section such that, prior toinward compression of said legs, the second engaging faces, sequentiallyinward from said outer ends, are at increasing angles in relation to thecenter axis of the pillar.
 4. A device as in claim 3 wherein each secondengaging face sequentially achieves a substantially orthogonal relationto the center axis of the pillar as the retaining legs are compressed toeach of said predetermined positions.
 5. A device for attaching acomponent to a mounting hole within a panel, the device providing asecure attachment to panels having variations in thickness, comprising:abase having means for attaching the component and an elastic stabilizerthat contacts a top surface of the panel when the device is attached tothe panel; a pillar projecting from the base, comprising a terminal endopposite from the base, and at least one flexible retaining legextending from the terminal end back towards the base at an angle to acentral axis of the pillar; wherein the retaining leg comprises anengagement step section having a plurality of engagement steps, theengagement steps each having a first engaging face and a second engagingface, the second engaging faces being disposed along the engagement stepsection such that when the device is in a free state the second engagingfaces are sequentially at increasing angles in relation to the centralaxis of the pillar; wherein each second engaging face sequentiallyachieves a substantially orthogonal relation to the central axis of thepillar as the retaining leg is compressed inward towards the pillar. 6.A device as in claim 5 wherein the means for attaching the component isa belt and the component is a wire harness.
 7. A device as in claim 5wherein the pillar comprises two flexible retaining legs.
 8. A device asin claim 5 wherein the first engaging face and the second engagementface within each engaging step are set at a substantially 90° angle. 9.A device as in claim 8 wherein the first engaging face and the secondengaging face are set at an angle of between 90° and 98°.
 10. A deviceas in claim 5 wherein the second engaging face for the appropriateengagement step is adapted to contact a bottom surface of the panel in asubstantially parallel relationship, wherein the engagement step sectionadapts to variations of panel thickness by engaging the engagement stepthat most closely corresponds to the thickness of the panel.
 11. Adevice as in claim 5 wherein the means for attaching the component is aC-shaped flexible clamp.
 12. A device as in claim 5 wherein the base issubstantially oval and the elastic stabilizer is a dish-like stabilizer.13. A device as in claim 5 wherein the engagement step section has afirst engagement step, a second engagement step and a third engagementstep, wherein the engagement steps are arranged along the engagementstep section such that the first engagement step is adapted to contact abottom surface of the panel for panels having substantially a firstthickness, wherein the second engagement step is adapted to contact thebottom surface of the panel for panels having substantially a secondthickness and wherein the third engagement step is adapted to contactthe bottom surface of the panel for panels having substantially a thirdthickness.
 14. A device as in claim 13 wherein each contact issubstantially parallel.
 15. A device as in claim 5 wherein the pillarcomprises two flexible retaining legs, the first engaging face and thesecond engaging face within each engaging step are set at asubstantially 90° angle and the first engaging face for the appropriateengagement step is adapted to contact the panel in a substantiallyparallel relationship, wherein the engagement step section adapts tovariations of panel thickness by engaging the engagement step that mostclosely corresponds to the thickness of the panel.
 16. A device as inclaim 15 wherein each first engaging face and second engaging face areset at an angle of between 90° and 98°, respectively.
 17. A device as inclaim 15 wherein the engagement step section comprises a firstengagement step, a second engagement step and a third engagement step,wherein the engagement steps are sequentially arranged along theengagement step section such that first engagement step is adapted tocontact the bottom surface of the panel for panels having substantiallya first thickness, wherein the second engagement step is adapted tocontact the bottom surface of the panel for panels having substantiallya second thickness and wherein the third engagement step is adapted tocontact the bottom surface of the panel for panels having substantiallya third thickness, the first thickness being thicker than the secondthickness and the second thickness being thicker than the thirdthickness.
 18. A belt clamp comprising:a belt; a base attached to saidbelt; a pillar extending from said base and terminating in a free end;and a resiliently flexible retaining piece fixed to said free end ofsaid pillar and extending back to said base, said retaining pieceterminating in a free end, comprising: an engagement step section forengaging a mounting hole defined in a panel, said engagement stepsection having a plurality of engagement steps formed at predeterminedintervals therealong and selectively adapted to accommodate panels ofdifferent thicknesses, each of said engagement steps having anengagement face facing a bottom surface of the panel for selectiveengagement therewith, said engagement faces of said engagement stepsbeing formed at different angles to a central axis of said retainingpiece so that when the thickness of the panel is altered, the engagementface for the engagement step that is engaging the panel is substantiallyparallel to the bottom surface of the panel.
 19. A belt clamp as definedin claim 18, wherein each of said engagement steps includes anassociated engagement face at substantially right angles to saidengagement face of the corresponding engagement step for engagement witha wall surface of the mounting hole of the panel.
 20. A device forselective engagement within mounting holes in panels of variousthicknesses, said device comprising:a base assembly of predeterminedwidth; a pillar projecting from the base assembly and extending to aterminal end remote from the base assembly, a pair of flexibly resilientretaining legs engaged with and extending from the terminal end backtowards the base at an angle to a center axis of the pillar, said legsterminating at outer ends laterally outward of said pillar, said legsbeing selectively inwardly compressible toward said pillar topredetermined positions; each of said retaining legs comprising anengagement step section having a plurality of engagement steps, theengagement steps each having a first engaging face and a second engagingface, the second engaging faces defining said predetermined positionsand being disposed along the engagement step section such that, prior toinward compression of said legs, the second engaging faces, sequentiallyinward from said outer ends, are at increasing angles in relation to thecenter axis of the pillar.
 21. A device as in claim 20 wherein eachsecond engaging face sequentially achieves a substantially orthogonalrelation to the center axis of the pillar as the retaining legs arecompressed to each of said predetermined positions.
 22. A device as inclaim 21 wherein the first engaging face and the second engaging face ofeach engaging step are set at an angle of substantially 90°.
 23. Adevice as in claim 20 wherein the first engaging face and the secondengaging face are set at an angle of between 90° and 98°.
 24. A deviceas in claim 20 wherein said base assembly includes a base for themounting of an external component, and a stabilizer enlarged relative tosaid base and positioned between said base and said pillar, saidstabilizer being elastically deformable.
 25. A device as in claim 20wherein said pillar and said legs are of a combined width less than saidwidth of said base assembly.